Hinged box



Patented Sept. 8, 19.25.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY J'. FARRINGTON, 0F JAMAICA PLAIN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 FAR- RINGTON. MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF JAMAICA PLAIN, MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF MAINE.

HINGED Box.

, Application led January 4, 1923. Serial No. 610,690.

To all whom z't may concern.' Y

Be it known that I, HARRY J. FARRINGTON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Jamaica Plain, county of Suffolk, and State of lMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Hinged Boxes, of which the following description, in connection withthe accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to a box comprising a body section and a cover section hinged together and provided with a spring construction by means of which the sections are retained yieldingly either in closed or open position. The invention is particularly useful in connection with the more or less ornamental boxes employed for the preservation and display of articles of jewelry and similar objects.

The object of the invention is to provide a spring hinge construction which shall permit the body and cover sections to be made as shallowV as possible and consequently the box as a whole as thin as possible.

The object of the invention is further to provide a construction which shall reduce the cost of manufacturing the box both by reducing .the amount of material required in the box, in covering the box, and in lining the box and by reducing the amount of labor and the number of tools or machines and operations required.

The object of the invention is further to provide a construction in which rthe spring element of the hinge may readily be removed and replaced in the construction and repair of the' box.

The object of the invention is further to provide a construction in which the springfelement of the hinge shall interfere as little las) possible with the lining features ofthe These and other. objects and. features of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanyin description and drawings and will be claims. i

While the .invention is useful in a wide variety of boxes adapted for a wide variety of purposes it is particularly useful in connection with more or less ornamental type of jewelry box `made of sheet metal provided with an' exterior covering and 4lined and particularly pointed lout in the 4flat leaves 5' and 6 unite a formof box is, therefore, illustrated in the drawings in connection with a preferred form of the invention.

In the drawings- Fig. l is a view in central vertical cross section' of a com-plete jewelry box embodying a preferred form of construction of the invention with the body and cover sections shown in open position;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view with portions lljarokeln away of a p-art of the box shown in Fig. 3 is a detail enlarged and in perspective'of the hinge portion of the construction shown in Figs. 1- and 2. with the position of the spring when about to be removed or replaced indicated indotted lines;

Fig. 4 is a View similarV to Fig. 3 showing the hinge in operative position;

Fig. 5 is a detail in vertical cross section taken through the spring in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a' view similarto Fig. 5 with the parts in the position assumed when the body and cover sections are in closed position.

The. box essentially comprises a hollow body section and a hollowl cover section. Preferably these sections of the box are formed by stamping out sheet metal into the required shape. As illustrated both sections are of rectangular shape( and, in the particular form illustrated, substantially square. The body section presents the bottom 1 and the upstanding or vertical side walls 2. The cover section is of similar shape and construction excepting that in the form illustrated the top 3 of the cover is convex with the side walls 4 vertical as in 'the case of those of the body section. v

The body and cover sections are hinged The hinge member comirises a pair of This hinge member is secured inside of the box, the leaves 5 and 6 being secured respectively to the side walls 4 and 2 of the cover and bottom sections. These parts are preferably secured in' place by tabs 8 of the.

111 Order t0 SOCIIIG 3 Smooth by'a pintle 7.

metal of the cover and body sections struck out inwardly and carried through apertures 9 in the hinge leaves and bent back against the leaves. This forms a very firm construction, leaves the exterior surface of the side walls of the cover and box sections fiat and smooth to receive the covering material and throws the pintle and hinged connection of the leaves into the box interior.

The spring construction by means of which the cover and body sections of the box are yieldingly held in either open or closed position involves a spring operating upon the principle of that disclosed in the patent to Nevelson #743,747 granted Nov. 10, 1903. Such a spring 10 consists of a resilient metal strip curved in the directionA of its length and having the hooked ends 11. These hooked ends engage over the edges of the leaves of the hinge and the construction is such that when the bo-x sections are in closed positions as shown in Fig. 6 the tension in the spring due to its curved fo-rmation tends to draw the hooked ends to-` ether and thus hold the box sections closed. en the box sections are separated and swung to open position the spring expands and again contracts tohold the sections in open position as shown in Fig. 5 with the body of the spring preferably in` contact with the middle of the hinge so as to limit the openingmo-vement.

It is very desirable in this type of box that the body and cover sections shall be as shallow as possib-le and the whole box as thin as possible. With the body of the box thus shallow the article of jewelry or other object supported therein is held up in plain view and readily accessible thus giving a pleasing display effect. The depth of the body and cover sections of the box is determined by the depth of the side walls and the depth of these side walls is determined by the width of the leaves of the hinge. But there is a limit to the width of the leaves which is determined by the width of the tabs 8 and apertures 9. These cannot be reduced beyond a certain point without weakening the box structure.

As heretofore constructed it has been necessary to hook the spring 1() over the 'outer edges of thehinge leaves and consequently to place the bottom 1 of the body section and the top 3 of the cover section at a substantial distance from the outer edtges ofthe hinge leaves in order to provi e room for the hooked ends of the spring and for the expansion and contraction of the spring.

In the present invention the leaves of the hinge are provided at their outer edges with recesses formed by cutting away as shown at 12 the metall of the hinge. These recesses are preferably formed at points intermediate the length of the hinge. To provide for the ready insertion and removal of the hinge additional or auxiliary recesses are formed in the leaves of the spring ad-A joining the main recesses as indicated at 13 and these auxiliary recesses are much deeper than the main recesses 12. Both recesses should be ofa width at least that of the spring 10. The formation of these recesses in the leaves of the spring does not in any way weaken or injure the spring because they are formed between the tabs 8 or other means provided for securing the spring to the box sections.

The spring when in operative position engages the hinge leaves with its hooked ends 11 at the main recesses 12 as shown in detail in'Figs. 4, 5 and 6. These main recesses are of such depth that a very short spring '1s sufficient. Consequently thereis no engagement of the ends of the spring with the bottom 1 of the body or the top 3 of the cover section at any time or, in other words, the spring is at all times within the outer edges of the leaves. Furthermore owing to the reduced length of the spring its movement toward the center of the box o-rv away from the pintle and back again is comparatively slight. Both of these features have a very appreciable effect upon the construction and appearance of the lining.

Not infrequently the springs become broken or injured. The provision of the auxiliary recesses 13 enables the spring readily to be removed and replaced. To put a new` spring in position it is only necessary to place the spring in alignment with the auxiliary recesses 13 as shown in Fig. 3 and then slide it endwise into its operative position in the main recesses 12 as shown in Fig. 4. By the opposite operation it is removed with equal facility.

Boxes of this character are usually covered on the exterior with a suitablecovering material such as velvet, cloth, other textile material, leather, etc. Such a covering is shown at 14 extending over the entire exterior of both sections and carried back over the interior of the side walls except usually where the 'leaves of the spring are fastened to the side walls. The body section is usually provided with what isknown as a satin collar 15 usually in the form of a strip of cardboard covered with satin and fitted in against the inner periphery of the side walls. A protecting strip 16 of satin or suitable material usually overlies the hinge and extends down into the body section and up into the cover section. A pad is frequently mounted in the body section to support the article of jewelry or other object. Such a pad comprises a stiff cardboard base 17 havin thereon padding material 18 and the who e covered b`y a suitable satin or other covering 19. This pad fits closely within the body section and is usually glued in place. Owing to the'extreme shallowness of the body section permitted by -reason of the small size of the spring it is unnecessary to cut out or fit the edge of the pad about the spring and the pad can consequently be made of the same shape as the interior of the body section. Thus the same die can be used in making the base of the pad lat Whichever side of the body the cover be hinged.

The cover section is frequently provided with a puff formed by a loose piece of satin or other material 20 having its edges carried about a strip of cardboard 21 and the whole thing snapped into place against the side walls of the cover leaving the material 20 to it in toward the top ofthe cover. The slight movement of the spring provided with this invention does not interfere with -or injure the puff and re' uires no particular construction pf theY pu to [it over the spring.

The\ invention thus provides a construction which enables the entire box to be made as shallow as possible and each section of the box to be of the minimum depth permitted by the use of the desirable form of the hinge construction. The cost of manufacture is reduced because less covering material is required, the cost and labor in providing material beneath the pad is ellminated, fewer dies are required in the manufacture of the pads and linings to fit the box and strain and wear upon the pad and lining is eliminated.- The invention for this and other reasons results in an extremely satisfactory form of box.

v Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A box comprising hollow body and cover sections, a hinge having its leaves secured respectively'to the said body and cover sections with. the outer edge of each leaf presenting a recess located between points at which the leaf is secured to its section, a spring consisting of a resilient metal strip curved in the direction of its length, hooked at its ends, engaging the hinge leaves at the said recesses with itsy hooked ends so as at all times to be within the outer'edges of the leaves, and acting to hold the body and cover sections in either open or closed position and the outer edge of each leaf presenting an auxiliary recess deeper than and adjoining the main recess, whereby the spring Amay readily be placed in, or removed from, operating position by lsliding out from or rinto the auxiliary recesses and into or fronz evagement with the leaves at the main recesses.

2. A box comprising hollow body and cover sections each presenting flat vertical side walls, a hinge having its leaves secured respectively to the said side walls of the bod and cover sections with the outer edges o the leaves located closely adjacent to the bottom of the body and the top of the cover sections respectively and with the outery edges of the leaves presenting recesses, and a spring consisting of a resilient' metal strip curved in the direction of its length, hooked at its ends, engaging the hinge leaves at the said recesses with its hooked ends so as at all times to be-within the outer edges of the leaves, and acting to hold the body and cover sections in either open or closed position, and auxiliary recesses in the said outer edges of the hinge leaves deeper than and adjoining the main recesses, whereby the spring may readily be placed in, or removed from, operative position by sliding out from or into the auxiliary recesses and into or from engagement with the leaves at the main recesses. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY J. FARRINGTON. 

